‘Legion’ Forever

It’s obvious which Legion team is Geoff Johns’ favorite. The revamped pre-Crisis version of the team has appeared in some issues of JSA and JLA, and those Legionnaires are finally featured in their own miniseries, Legion of 3 Worlds. But other versions of the team, like the beloved “Archie” Legion and the recent “Threeboot” iteration, share the title and the spotlight too. The combined teams oppose Superboy Prime and the Time Trapper, who try to destroy the 31^st century’s interplanetary heroes with the help of a newly formed Legion of Super Villains.

That’s easier said than done, of course; present-day Superman teams up with the three Legions, who help resurrect not one but two (count ‘em, two!) major teen heroes. There are huge slam-bang scenes, intricately drawn by the legendary George Perez.

The five-issue series is chockfull of moments that should please followers of the creators, the Legion, even the Teen Titans. It’s not necessarily for the uninitiated, but it’s the Final Crisis tie-in that’s easiest to understand and is the most enjoyable of the lot.

Practically every Legionnaire and their allies (including L.E.G.I.O.N., the Subs, etc.) appear briefly a la the climactic rosters in Avengers Forever and Avengers-JLA. It’s unoriginal in that regard and puts one off a little. Also, what happened to the Archie Legion’s world is unclear. When did the catastrophe happen?

But overall, Legion of 3 Worlds is still big, epic, superhero fun. That’s rare in this era of company-wide events.